A new billion-dollar waterfront community planned in South America is among the latest proposed developments that aim to create a “city of the future” built around sustainability, technology, and economic innovation. Praxis, the company behind the project, announced this month that it had selected Uruguay as the location for the development for “the landscape, the stability, and the space,” the company noted. The new city, known as “+Colonia,” to be built next to the city of Colonia del Sacramento, is expected to welcome residents in mid-2027.
Praxis said it plans to mobilize $1 billion in investment over the next three years to build “the world’s first digital nation,” creating a community focused on residences, hospitality, culture, and a future shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). While supporters of the project point to the quality of life that +Colonia could offer, critics have questioned whether its vision for an AI-driven community can work as a functioning city and whether the investment targets are realistic. From Saudi Arabia to California, here we unpack other ambitious new cities proposed in recent years that aim to reinvent how millions of people could live.
Backed by a group of Silicon Valley investors, California Forever hopes to be “America’s next great city” and the first walkable city built in a century. The project aims to create a “medium density, walkable city with a network of city parks, plazas and playgrounds, built from the ground up to be sustainable and protected from climate change,” a spokesperson from California Forever told Newsweek. Set in Solano County, between the Bay Area and Sacramento, the project is described as the “largest construction labor agreement in history.” It aims to create 530,000 new jobs, 170,000 new homes, and new sources of clean energy for the area.
It is arguably the only place in America that combines land, rail, sea, and air, through major transportation corridors, with its proximity to the Travis Air Force Base and the waterfront land of the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel. The development is centered on a major expansion of Suisun City, a small city in Solano County, just northeast of San Francisco. The company is working with local officials on a proposed annexation and redevelopment plan for Suisun City.
The spokesperson said: “California Forever continues to progress on schedule through the entitlement process with Suisun City. The next milestone is Suisun City’s publication of the Draft Environmental Impact report, which we expect by year’s end.” The ambitious project has previously faced controversy over its land acquisitions, concerns over water use, and its environmental impact. Toyota's Woven City appears to be among the most advanced examples of a purpose-built future city centred on mobility, aiming to “enhance well-being for all.” Located within Susono, a city at the foothills of Mount Fuji, Woven City was first revealed in 2020 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the U.S.
The city is designed to be a “living laboratory” where residents, researchers, and companies can test new mobility technologies, robotics, and AI systems. Residents have begun moving into the city since September last year, and as of this month, the city has welcomed around 160 people across 80 households in its first phase of operations. A spokesperson for Woven City told Newsweek: “Phase 2 construction began in September 2026 and is scheduled for completion in November 2028.
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